Young Adult
Dir: Jason Reitman
2011
***
Young Adult is more about the characters rather than the story, although that said, the ending is pretty strong and the film wouldn't be half as good without it (without wanting to sound obvious). The humour is a little more subtle here than it is in Jason Reitman's previous films but the unbearable sense that you are never completely in control of your own life, a regular theme in his films, is very much present. It's interesting to see a female in an 'adult acts childishly' film for a change and although when men tend to be shown as immature in a certain way in Hollywood (couch potato, scruffy), this character isn't the female equivalent of this but does in fact represent a very 'real' persona that I've seen and seems to be more and more noticeable. I really do like Jason Reitman's films but I think he needs to consider a slightly different change in direction in the future as his films are starting to become a bit samey.